Buying a house is expensive on its own, but that’s only the beginning of the costs that you might have to pay.

I was so done with landlords and rented apartments – with wondering when that couple upstairs would stop fighting, or when the people downstairs would finally stop partying. I wanted to hang my own art on my walls. To not have to wait for the landlord to schedule a handyman when something was broken.

We finally bought a house, budgeting for mortgage and insurance, but had no idea how many unexpected costs we would come across. When considering buying a house, you should definitely consider these costs, too:

1. Home Inspections
It’s always smart to get a home inspector to check out your house. They should tell you about major problems – like mold or electrical issues – along with smaller problems like broken windows and non-functioning appliances. It’s important to do a walk-through with the home inspector, but this can run around $500.

2. Closing Costs
In addition to the down payment, you’ll need to pay closing costs. These include a lawyer, lender fees, appraisal (unless you paid for this separately), escrow fees, and title insurance. Our closing costs also included the pro-rated Homeowners Association (HOA) fees and insurance for the entire year. Closing costs will vary depending on your lender and your location, but it’s usually between two percent and five percent of the price of the home.

3. Renovations and Repair
When you’re buying a house, you might want to do some renovations. It helps you make your home feel more “yours.” Our house’s previous owner (who lived out-of-state) rented it out, so there were also some repairs that needed to be done. One broken window, one fogged window, and wood rot, among other things. We knew about these going into closing, but you still have pay for them. Though we were lucky on one front – the hot water heater broke before we closed, and the previous owner bought new.We also didn’t think about the cost of changing the locks, new lightbulbs, or floor mats.

And forget about trash cans, drawer liners and organizers, and cleaning supplies. Some people might have had a few of these items already, but since we had previously lived in a furnished apartment, and then with my parents, we needed to purchase many them.

4. Lawn Care
I’d never had a lawn before, and I didn’t even think about the cost of maintaining it before buying the house. Most cities have regulations for lawn height. So we calculated the cost of hiring someone to do our small yard compared to buying a lawn mower. In the end, we bought a mower, instead. My dad found an inexpensive lawnmower for us, and we plan to mow our lawn ourselves this summer.

5. Moving Expenses
This is a cost that is frequently forgotten in the shuffle. Some people like to buy pizza and ask their friends to help move furniture, but my partner and I are too old for that. After buying a house, we hired movers who were licensed and insured. We ended up paying about $650 for moving, but it was totally worth it so that we wouldn’t need to be carrying things up and down stairs. Because they scraped the paint off one of our dressers, they also gave us a discount. No one is perfect, and because it was one of our DIY projects, it was easy to repaint it.

6. New Appliances
Some people will inevitably need to buy new appliances when they’re buying a house. The previous owners of our home had a fairly new microwave, refrigerator, and stove that we didn’t need to replace; but our washer and dryer, while functional, didn’t work well. I had to run the dryer for nearly an hour and a half for a load of laundry to dry. We had never purchased these kinds of appliances before, but we needed new. Some people might even need to get new toilets. We’re holding out on that front, even though ours aren’t that great.

At the end of the project, we were glad that we had saved up enough money for the down payment of buying a house, as well as renovations and extra costs.

Everyone is looking for the latest technology to add to their home. Ten years ago I had only heard of exterior lights that turned on via a timer, but now almost everything in your home can be connected to your smartphone. Forgot to set the alarm when you left for work? You can turn it on via an app on your phone. Did you unplug the flat iron? Motion sensors can turn it off for you!

While it may seen trendy to invest in products that fill the gaps in your memory, it’s not altogether clear whether they save you money.

Air conditioning is not something you would expect to be thrilled about, but it’s fascinating to see how you use energy to cool your home with smart thermostats like Ecobee. It even has a function that will show you how efficient your home is compared to your community and your estimated savings compared to your state. Smart thermostats are better than regular programmable thermostats because they notice when you are in a room and when you’re gone in order to adjust accordingly.

Using sensors in each room, I can tell my Ecobee to only use two of the sensors to set the temperature in the home, ignoring a room that we don’t use to be more efficient. I can also adjust it remotely using my phone and I will receive alerts if the temperature is too high or too low in the home.

My Ecobee shows that we have saved about $10 in February and about $65 since we installed it. With a $100 credit from Georgia Power for purchasing the technology, we will make back what we spent in about two years.

Appliances are a close second for the biggest energy sucker in US homes (behind heating and cooling), according to the US Energy Information Administration (USIA). Even though the number of televisions in homes is declining, we have all sorts of other appliances that use energy. Refrigerators and washing machines are now subject to federal efficiency standards. However, the USIA found that homes built between 2000 and 2009 use 19% more energy than homes built in the 1980s, indicating that recharging computers, phones, and other devices take up much more energy than we might think.

Many televisions and gaming systems now have an “always on” mode, which not only uses energy but will cost you more. You’ll need to make sure to turn them off or use a smart plug to do it manually or on a timer. You can use a smart plug for almost every appliance, which allows you to monitor what devices are on or off at any given time from your phone. Smart power strips will also turn off devices when you leave a room, which can save you $200 a year by avoiding the vampire load.

I’ve been wanting a Roomba, which will clean my floors for me, but this is another appliance that needs to be plugged in when not in use. According to this article, despite that fact, using a Roomba is more energy efficient and will cost less in the long run than a standard upright vacuum.

Lighting doesn’t use that much energy, but if you’re annoyed by the thought of going room to room and turning off the lights, you can set timers or use smart lighting like Hue to make sure the lights are off, saving you time and money.

Security is the best place for home automation in my opinion. You can install digital locks and cameras that connect to apps on your smart phone, allowing you to monitor your home at all times. The camera uses power 24/7, but the smart lock uses a battery that lasts 3-5 years or solar power.

Finally, we should all be concerned about water usage. How many times have you driven by a home watering their lawn and it has just rained? Now, smart sensors can help turn off your sprinklers when it detects rain, saving both the earth and your wallet.

When deciding what devices to get, you should look at the cost benefit. Some may pay for themselves in a year, but others may take longer. Is it worth it to spend $200 on a water sensor to prevent a flood that may never happen, despite a possible credit from your insurance company? Ecobee has been a great first step into automating our home, and I hope the savings will just keep coming.

After six months of house-hunting, my partner and I finally found one that fitted our wish list. It was in a desirable area; had three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a garage; and yes, it was affordable. But it needed a few home repairs.

The home, built in 2001, needed some TLC. The wood floors downstairs were shot and there was no way that carpet upstairs was going to stay. The previous owner had a terrible painter, and there were many spots on the walls that needed touching up. Our inspector gave us a list of things that needed repairs, including a broken window. We also wanted to change the light fixtures and raise the bathroom vanities to make them more accessible.

The quotes from a few contractors were a bit scary.

One quote was for $17,677, not including the $4,525 it actually cost us to purchase the wood, tiles, and stair pieces.

We felt that we could do many of these things ourselves. How hard could it be? Little did we know, we would learn a lot in the process!

1. The Floors

The engineered hardwood on the lower floor, including the bathroom, was in a bad shape due to water damage, both near the exterior doors and in the downstairs bathroom, where the toilet must have overflowed. Engineered hardwood, as we found out, cannot be refinished. And so we had to get new.

My partner’s brother-in-law, a former contractor in a different state, offered to come out and do the floors as a house-warming gift. We were thrilled. If he could do it, we could, too. The internet gave us all the instructions we needed. We also went to a local store that offered free classes on laying wood floors and tiles. My brother-in-law did much of the more complicated flooring, like cutting the corners, but I tiled two bathrooms and a laundry area by myself.

The floor had to come off first, as the old one was glued tightly to the foundation. Time to call in the tough guys, who spent two days prying the floors.

It took seven days to finish the entire floor.

2. The Walls

We decided not to do any of the painting ourselves. I didn’t want to be around all the fumes, which can be harmful for pregnant women. We hired a painter to paint both the interior and exterior, and he also fixed wood rot in a number of places. Our cost for painting – and a few other things we asked of him – ended up being nearly $6,000.

3. The Bathrooms

The vanities in the upstairs bathrooms were a standard 27 inches, but they felt short. We found instructions online on how to raise them without having to buying a new $500 vanity. I was skeptical at first because of the effort of taking off the heavy countertop, but they turned out great.

Our painter later said they weren’t secure and he would fix them. Okay, we’re not perfect.

Final Thoughts

We finally put our tools down four weeks after moving in. Our savings account is lighter now, but we are happy with what we could do ourselves. There’s still a lot to learn. We accidentally blew a fuse when trying to install a new thermostat, so had to call in an electrician and then an HVAC technician to attend to it.

But we would have gotten stuck with a bill of $22,022 if the contractor had done it. Instead, we ended up saving nearly $7,000.

I also learned about basic plumbing, wiring, flooring, and tiling – skills that I know will come in handy as we move forward as homeowners.

Even so, the work isn’t over yet. We keep finding projects to do in and around the house.

As any DIY homeowner will tell you, sometimes it’s fun and sometimes it isn’t. By the end of our fourth week, we were all incredibly sore. My knees and back ached, and we were all covered in cuts and scratches. It was totally worth it, though, considering how much we saved and how much better we will be at it later.

I’m not sure how much the house has appreciated after all of our home repairs, but I intend to find that out at the next appraisal.

Whether you rent or own, you should have insurance. As a homeowner, your mortgage lender will require you to have insurance, though you are not obligated as a renter unless your landlord requires it in your lease.

Like other types of insurance, home insurance protects against the things we don’t want to think about. With crime, fire, and water damage; accidental injuries; and some natural disasters, home insurance will cover the cost to replace personal items, cover medical bills if someone is injured in your home, and repair physical damage to the structure.

However, it does not cover all situations. If your home is damaged in an earthquake or hurricane, from water from a sewer backup or a major flood, or due to poor workmanship, you tend to be responsible for the costs to repair.

With any sort of insurance, you have options. Different companies offer varying policies. If you want to choose a good policy and make sure you save money in the process, you’ll want to follow these tips:

Shop Around

There are many companies that offer home insurance: Plymouth, StateFarm, MetLife, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Farmers Insurance, AllState, and Travelers, just to name a few.

While most places will have similar policies, you should shop around and see who has good discounts and who you feel comfortable with.

You may want to use a local agent to help, and while we millennials prefer to do everything online, it will really help to talk with different insurance companies to get a feel for their policies and customer service.

Differences in Policies

When you’re shopping, ask your agent whether your policy covers actual cash value or replacement cash value. If you need to file a claim, this point will be important to the amount of assistance your policy will provide.

Actual cash value refers to the cost of an item with depreciation. For example, if your Apple MacBook is six years old and it gets stolen from your home, you would be entitled to the cost of the computer when it was taken.

However, with a policy that provides replacement cash value, you would be able to submit for the cost to replace the computer when you buy a new one. That could mean the difference of $500!

Homeowners Discounts

Once you choose an insurer, there are many things you can do to reduce your monthly premiums. If you have both auto and home insurance, you tend to get a discount when you bundle your policies with the same company.

Additionally, telling your insurance company that you have an alarm system, working smoke detectors, deadbolts on your exterior doors, and a fire extinguisher will give additional discounts. Ask your agent what other discounts you may be eligible for. Having these things and being proactive in maintenance will reduce the likelihood that a major disaster will occur, as well. Your insurance company will trust that you are a good homeowner, too, which is helpful.

Having these things and being proactive in maintenance will reduce the likelihood that a major disaster will occur, as well. Your insurance company will trust that you are a good homeowner, too, which is helpful.

Taking Inventory

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to take an inventory of all your possessions and keep that in a safe place (or multiple places).

Take pictures of each room so that you will have documentation of the things you own.

This will be really helpful in case you need to file a claim for more than one item at a time. If you are burglarized or have damage to your home and things get moved around, these pictures and an inventory will help you assess what you will need to replace.

Consider When to File a Small Claim

If your deductible is $1,000 but you might file a claim for tree damage on an outdoor shed that cost $400, you may want to reconsider filing the claim. If you then need to file a claim two years later for major damage to your home, your insurance premium may increase. Ask your insurance agent for help if you aren’t sure.

Don’t Wait to File a Major Claim

You may be in the midst of dealing with a police report or with water or fire damage cleanup, but calling your insurance company right away is the best thing you can do to mitigate the process. Filing a claim might be confusing, so be sure to check my post on what to do when you need to file a large claim!

When my partner and I were searching for a house, we thought there were so many options. Looking at the listings our agent provided, there were mini-mansions, smaller cottages, newer homes, and houses needing major renovations. But as we prepared a list of desirable qualities we wanted in our home, that large pool of options began to shrink significantly.

It’s important when buying a home to determine what you want and what’s going to be best for your situation. The following are all things that we considered before buying our home:

1. Location, Location, Location

Is the home in the area you’d want to live? Are grocery stores close by? We looked at proximity to my partner’s work so that we could cut down on the miles we put on our car.

We also wanted to be in a specific area of town – neighborhoods close in the city, where exciting developments were happening. If you are a member of a religious group or certain social groups, are there others like you living in the area? While we didn’t end up being in the same neighborhood as a synagogue due to affordability, we wanted to be in an area that was close-by and that was also close to the queer community.

2. Resale Value

While you don’t want to assume that you’ll move again anytime soon, it’s always good to consider the resale value.

Is the area up and coming, or is it declining? Has it already reached the top of the market?

We looked at some great neighborhoods, but either the homes were too expensive for the work we’d have to put into them or they had already been redone. Is there a lot of new construction in the area, while the house you are considering is older? How does the house you like compare with others in the area? These are all things to keep in mind for the future.

3. Size

While bigger homes tend to be more expensive, if you want more bang for your buck, you may be able to find larger homes far from the center of a city at less cost. On the other hand, you’ll need to consider commute times. A lot of people have moved to the far reaches of the northern part of Atlanta, and while the tech companies are up there, if you work at Coca-Cola or somewhere in the city, your commute could be nearly two hours one way because of traffic.

On the flip side, the older homes in the city from the 1940s are very small and some have terrible floor plans. If you have the money to tear down and build new, that’s a very popular option these days, but there was no way we could afford that.

4. Age and Condition

Some people are willing to pay more for a “move-in”-ready home that doesn’t need major repairs. Sometimes it might be worth it to get an older home and renovate yourself. We thought that it would be easy to find a home in a desirable area that no one wanted because it was outdated, but we realized that after putting in two offers, we were competing with investors who had the cash to flip the house at a higher price. We couldn’t afford that, and we didn’t want to pay more than we were able to spend comfortably.

5. History of the Property

Some houses can’t sell because of mold or a death, so it’s good to know the history of the property.

Was there a fire or was a previous owner a drug dealer? How will that affect your desire to buy a home?

Someone I know bought a house even though it had severe mold problems. They fixed it up and are very happy, but I know that any house with a mold problem would be terrible for my allergies – it just isn’t worth it for us.

6. Price

Obviously, the biggest thing most people look at is affordability. If you’re moving across the country, you may have the flexibility to find an area where house prices are more affordable to you.

But the price varied not only across the country, but also within cities.

For homes sold in Atlanta between February 4 and May 4, the median sales price was $235,000, based on 2,480 sales. For the same period, the median price in Denver, CO was $330,000, based on 1,973 sales; and $196,250 (based on 4,540 sales) in Phoenix, AZ.

Choosing a home is a lot more complicated than it seems. We looked at about seven different neighborhoods and probably 20 to 30 homes over the course of eight months. We wanted to be in one area and then realized we couldn’t afford it.

Then we recognized that we needed more than one bathroom and more than two bedrooms to really be comfortable. As you see more and more homes, your must-have list and your would-be-nice list change.

We were just four days away from the end of our vacation in L.A. when a defective pipe burst under the master bathroom sink, and our home in Atlanta was drenched with water. Since my parents were at the house the day before with no problems, we figured the water probably ran for about 24 hours.

As brand-new homeowners with no idea what to do, we knew only one thing: we needed help. Luckily, we had knowledgeable people to consult.

So what do you do when you have a major insurance claim?

Call Your Insurance Company and Notify Them of What Happened

The customer service representative we dealt with provided a claim number immediately and scheduled an appointment for a claims adjuster to come to the house. I checked my policy to see what would and wouldn’t be covered. While that was incredibly confusing, my sister-in-law works in insurance and reassured us that we had a good policy. I had only considered cost when I signed up for the insurance just a few months prior, not how comprehensive the policy was.

Secure the Home

My sister called the fire department, who helped to turn off power and water to the house in an effort to prevent further damage. She and my dad took our valuables and gathered extra clothes and items we would need when we returned from our trip.

We called ServPro before the claims adjuster visited. While ServPro had come immediately to pull up the damaged floors, take down drenched walls, and run dehumidifiers to dry everything out, I would highly recommend waiting until the claims adjuster arrives to call for damage control. We would have had to take financial responsibility for ServPro’s cost if the insurance company had denied it.

Document Your Losses

I began a spreadsheet with all our personal property as I had remembered it. Since we had just moved in, I had a general sense of what I had put where, but it was still incredibly difficult. For weeks afterward, I would say, what about this item? Where was that? The insurance company provided a link to an online system where I could input personal property. Because our policy allowed for the replacement value of a damaged or destroyed item, I researched those costs to show the adjuster.

Arrange for Alternative Housing

Our policy also allowed for “loss of use,” meaning that the insurance company would pay for us to stay elsewhere while the house was undergoing renovation. We decided that with a baby coming, we would prefer to stay with family, rather than at an extended-stay hotel.

Regardless of where you stay, the insurance company is still required to pay rent or hotel rates, meaning that they pay my parents rent on our behalf.

Hire a Public Adjuster

What we did not know is that we could have hired a professional who would advocate for us. These are individuals who know how to read insurance policies, and who work to support your interests. The report that our claims adjuster provided was very confusing, but we went line by line along with our contractor to make sure that everything was in-line with what should be in there.

Having a public adjuster would have helped take much of the stress off of us. You can also visit an insurance company website and find out what some of the big claims are that get filed under your zip code.

Don’t Start Renovations Without Approval by the Insurance Company

As we went back and forth with the insurance company, we did not allow our contractor to begin work, as we were told it would be more difficult for items to be covered by insurance if there was not full agreement ahead of time. For example, we needed to make sure that the insurance company allocated enough funding for underlayment and electrical wire replacement.

Pay Attention to Who Will Get Paid

The insurance company makes payments out both to the mortgage company and to the homeowners for building damages. We had to sign the checks over to the mortgage company, which will then disperse checks directly to our contractor.

When you choose a contractor, make sure that you trust them, and remember that you do not have to use only those that the insurance company recommends.

Any personal property losses (including spoiled food and items that have to be packed and moved to storage) would be reimbursed in a check made directly to the homeowners.

It’s hard to know what to do in this kind of situation. As new homeowners with a baby on the way, dealing with a large insurance claim and needing to move out was not how I envisioned spending this summer, but I have learned more about insurance than I ever thought I would.

I’m frustrated. My partner and I are still looking for a house to buy. The market is terrible, and there are no realistic options for us.

Last year, I watched the documentary, Tiny, about a couple’s experience building a tiny home. It absolutely captivated me, and I found out all I could about tiny homes.

In a few words, the tiny home movement is an effort to combat the idea of McMansions. It’s all about reducing the size of the space we live in; many tiny homes are less than 500 square feet. Tiny home dwellers may downsize for a variety of reasons — environmental or financial concerns, or simply for flexibility and freedom. Most tiny homes are portable, so you can take your home wherever you want!

I was fascinated. I loved the idea of being a minimalist and not having more space than I need. In some ways, I was already accustomed to living with fewer possessions while traveling. How different could a tiny home be?

For millennials saddled with debt, the idea of a tiny home that costs less than $20,000 sounds like a great idea. Buying a standard house means spending money on a down payment, insurance, interest, and taxes, not to mention maintenance over time, which according to the Tiny House Movement could total more than $1,000,000 with a 30-year mortgage.

My partner and I were ecstatic when we learned about the tiny home movement. What if we bought an old van or camper and converted it? Using our own sweat and tears, we would feel proud of our accomplishment.

We could park it in my parents’ driveway or backyard and then drive our home across country to stay with Emet’s family in L.A. for half the year. We could get rid of the junk in our lives! We could travel the world!

I’ve met two people who have built or acquired a tiny home, and their stories inspire me. A good friend and her husband sold everything they owned, and with their three-year-old son, they bought an RV and traveled the country last summer. I also met a woman and her husband who built a tiny home in the woods of Iowa, completely off grid and within a two hour drive to the church where they are both pastors.

Hearing their stories made me think it was possible, but I was still skeptical. Sure, it would be awesome to travel the world in a tiny home on wheels, but then, the little rational voice in my head was screaming, “No!” We don’t have remote jobs. We can’t just pick up and go.

We also need more space than 500 square feet. We’ve been looking at houses and realized we need more than one bathroom so that we can host friends and have family stay with us. How can we do all that with a smaller area than our last one bedroom apartment? Not to mention the difficult regulations we would have to abide by if we built our own.

Most tiny homes are on wheels to avoid the zoning laws in the city. We would have to find a place to park it legally. We may be able to put it in the backyard of a regular home, but the area must have the zoning to accommodate full-time camping.

If the tiny house has a foundation and is not on wheels, it would have to comply with building codes, which usually means it must be a minimum of 700 square feet. For that reason, many people turn to rural areas to build and park their tiny homes.

But we want to live in the city, close to my freelance gigs and my partner’s work, along with friends and family. It’s not practical for us to live out in the woods.

While we struggle to find a standard home to buy, the fantasy of a tiny home creeps back into my mind. Could we have 100 percent remote jobs that allow us to go wherever we want? Could we build it from scratch and then not have to worry about a mortgage? Could we really fit everything we own into a 700 sqare foot or less home?